Freshpet Inc. Recalls Dog Food Products Sold at Walmart and Target Due to Possible Salmonella Contamination

Lauren Wicks
·2 min read
dog eating from a dog food bowl with a Recall Alert sign on it, on designed background
dog eating from a dog food bowl with a Recall Alert sign on it, on designed background

Getty Images / Przemyslaw Iciak / EyeEm

We love our pets, and we want to make sure their food has the healthiest ingredients to keep them feeling their best. But fresh food can mean a heightened risk for foodborne illness. Freshpet fans may want to check their refrigerators, because the all-natural dog food brand just issued a voluntary recall related to possible Salmonella contamination.

The product under recall is Freshpet Select Fresh from the Kitchen Home Cooked Chicken Recipe (4.5-lb. bag), with a sell-by date of 10/29/22 and a UPC number of 627975011673. The brand advises pet parents in possession of this product to stop feeding it to their dogs and dispose of it immediately, as this lot was intended to be destroyed but a portion was distributed to Walmart stores in Alabama and Georgia, as well as to various Target locations in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia.

The sell-by date and UPC number can be found on the bottom of each pack to help easily determine if your product was affected. No other Freshpet products or dates/codes of the Freshpet Select Fresh from the Kitchen Home Cooked Chicken Recipe product are under this recall.

So far, there have been no reports of adverse health outcomes, but the Food and Drug Administration advises disposing of the product immediately to prevent exposure to dogs and their owners. The organization says that symptoms of salmonellosis in dogs may include lethargy, diarrhea (possibly bloody), fever and vomiting. Decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain may also be symptoms. If your dog is experiencing any of these, you may want to contact your vet immediately.

The FDA also notes that infected yet otherwise healthy pets can be carriers of Salmonella and infect humans and other animals. Effects of salmonellosis in people can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Less-common health outcomes may include arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation and urinary tract symptoms. Anyone who purchased this product and is experiencing any of the above symptoms should contact their health care provider as soon as possible.